UVM and college sports from the Burlington Free Press sports department

Hoffman or Santaguida? Sneddon says both — for now

The question was asked primarily in jest with a bit of curiosity tossed in: “Which goalie should be starting all the games?”

Vermont defenseman Mike Paliotta laughed, then replied, “Well, we’re really fortunate we have two really good ones and they have both played exceptional this year. It’s made the coach’s decision really tough and that’s a good thing.

“They push each other in practice and Pat Feeley’s another great goalie. He hasn’t gotten much time but he works just as hard in practice and pushes the guys. We have three really good goalies and really fortunate for that.”

While Feeley, a freshman, has yet to see regular-season action, Paliotta’s comments on UVM’s tandem of sophomore Brody Hoffman and freshman Mike Santaguida were both diplomatic and accurate.

Since Hoffman returned from a preseason injury that gave Santaguida the opportunity to play the first five games, the two have give the Catamounts a chance to win every game. They cumulatively are Reason No. 1 while UVM has a 10-6-1 record, including a 7-1-0 record over the last eight games, and their first national ranking — No. 20 this week on the USCHO.com poll — in several seaons.

Though standing in stark contrast to each other physically — Hoffman is 6-foot-4, Santaguida a listed 5-9 — the two have been virtual mirror images statistically in the 12 games they’ve split since Hoffman’s return:

Thus far, the rotation has worked well. When playing the Catamounts in a two-game series, opponents face two different looks in the UVM goal. Neither has been significantly better than the other, although Hoffman appears to have been a tad sharper in his latest outings.

UVM coach Kevin Sneddon has never been in this situation before where he’s had two goalies playing at the level Hoffman and Santaguida have thus far. Nearly every year, one goalie has seized the starting position early and never let it go.

During Sneddon’s tenure, here are the number of appearances of each goalie per season (UVM games in parentheses):

— 2003-04 (35 games): Travis Russell 32, Scott Sortal 8;

— 2004-05(39): Joe Fallon 32, Russell 8, Jeff Hill 1;

— 2005-06 (38): Fallon 33, Russell 8;

— 2006-07 (39): Fallon 34, Mike Spillane 7;

— 2007-08 (39): Fallon 32, Spillane 8, Hill 2;

— 2008-09 (39): Rob Madore 29, Spillane 10;

— 2009-10 (39): Madore 34, Spillane 7, John Vazzano 2;

— 2010-11 (36): Madore 36, Alex Vazzano 4;

— 2011-12 (34): Madore 28, A. Vazzano 7, J. Vazzano 1;

— 2012-13 (36): Brody Hoffman 36, Billy Faust 2, J. Vazzano 1;

— 2013-14 (17): Mike Santaguida 11, Hoffman 6.

Last year, Hoffman started every game and played nearly every minute; the separation between him and his backups was that significant. This year, Santaguida’s emergence has given UVM its best depth in goal since the Catamounts joined Hockey East. The players have confidence that either goalie can do the job on any particular night.

Still, the question does arise: Could or would Sneddon break the rotation?

“We’ve got to win hockey games. If one guy emerges as the clear-cut No. 1, we’ve got to go with that guy,” Sneddon said after UVM’s 3-0 loss to Northeastern and reconfirmed after Vermont won the Catamount Cup.

“I don’t think we’re at that point right now. To this point, I haven’t had to make those decisions because they’ve both been playing great,” he said.

Vermont has five more non-conference games before it returns to full-time Hockey East competition. That figures to give Hoffman and Santaguida three games each to make his case that he should be No. 1.

Under the rotation, Hoffman would play the first game against Northeastern, which counts in Hockey East; the second game is a non-league game since the Huskies and Catamounts have already played one league game in Burlington.

Ideally, if one becomes the top dog, it’s not because one goes into a slump but rather because the other goes from being very good to great.

Contact Free Press correspondent Ted Ryan at TedRyanVT@aol.com and follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/TedRyanVT